One winter morning, the vermilion gates of the Chen Clan Ancestral Hall have yet to fully open, but the granite-paved street leading to this Guangzhou landmark is already brushed with warmth as the first rays of morning light awaken the city. The silhouettes of wok-ear gables stretch diagonally across the ground, overlapping gently with the scrolling vine motifs carved into the brickwork beneath the eaves.

Nearby, fragments of lilting music drift intermittently from the Cantonese Opera Art Museum, mingling with the steamy aroma rising from roadside teahouses. This is no carefully staged scene. It is simply Lingnan (a term referring to China's southern regions including Guangdong province, Hong Kong and Macao) life, unfolding as it always has — quietly, confidently, and with remarkable depth.

There is no need to rush from one "must-see" landmark to another. Instead, this journey moves at an unhurried pace through Liwan district of Guangzhou and Foshan, Guangdong province, tracing Lingnan culture as it continues to live on — in ancestral halls, old streets, temples, and classical gardens.

The journey begins at the Chen Clan Ancestral Hall, widely regarded as a jewel of Lingnan architectural art. First built during the Qing Dynasty (1644-1911), the complex once served as a communal ancestral hall for the Chen lineage — a place to gather kin, honor forebears, and educate younger generations.